Special Report
How printwear and promotion businesses can stay ahead of sustainability regulations and buyer expectations
In business you have to mean what you state and it is an ethos that is working its way into sustainability. The EU is changing its laws and now companies don’t just want eco-friendly products, they demand it. In this article, Akhil Sivanandan from Green Story explains why it is important to stay ahead of the changes and ways to do so without impacting business.
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or the last two years, sales teams have come across a surprising shift in procurement for their clients: Sustainability data has gone from ‘nice to have’ to a commercial requirement for the printwear and promotion industry. This is coming due to ripple effects on organisational targets and legislation. Corporate buyers, event organisers, and brand merch teams are under pressure to choose products with verified environmental performance, and not just claims. Teams (especially commercial teams) are therefore having to get smarter on sustainability messaging. As regulations tighten across the UK and EU, and as buyers increasingly integrate sustainability into procurement scoring, printwear businesses must shift from broad ‘eco-friendly’ messaging to specific, verifiable environmental data. Whether you supply blank garments, custom-printed apparel, or promotional textiles, the evidence behind your sustainability claims now matters as much as the products themselves.
Prama Bhardwaj, CEO and founder of Mantis and Babybugz, said: “The print and promotional products industry is moving rapidly from ‘nice to have’ sustainability to systemic change, driven by customer expectations and regulation.
“Upcoming EU and UK regulations around digital product passports, extended producer responsibility, deforestation and packaging are accelerating the need for traceable, lower-impact products.” This guide breaks down what’s changing, the risks of getting it wrong, and how the industry can prepare.
1. Why printwear procurement teams are turning up the pressure
Corporate procurement teams for branded merchandise have rapidly raised expectations. Instead of general sustainability messaging (‘better cotton,’ ‘eco-conscious’), they now ask suppliers for specific environmental data for their orders, including product level carbon and water impact figures per order, evidence for recycled or organic fibre claims, and chain of custody documentation from raw fibre to finished garment.
Prama Bhardwaj | 40 | January 2026
More importantly, this isn’t optional anymore. Procurement teams now have sustainability KPIs tied to net-zero plans, ESG scoring, and environmental compliance risk, especially in corporate gifting, events, and retail-adjacent promotional products. If a supplier cannot provide data, buyers may simply select one who can (and the number
who can are increasing). For printwear and promotional products, this shift means data is becoming a differentiator, especially in tenders and B2B pitches.
Professor Anne Pieterson-Smith
Professor Anne Pieterson-Smith from the University of Northumbria said: “The driver for this change is coming from new UK and EU sourced regulations in the form of consumer protection laws with the power to levy substantial fines relating to turnover, such as the EU Empowering Consumers Directive (ECD) and the UK Competition and Markets Authority Green Claims Code requiring the use of clear and verifiable product data.”
2. How UK printwear suppliers are impacted by EU-led regulatory changes
While the EU is leading the charge on this, procurement teams operate in a market shaped heavily by EU sustainability policy. The UK itself is not far behind in pushing stricter compliance rules around green
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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